asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many staff in his Department are presently concerned with the problem of rabies.

Work on our anti-rabies measures is one of the responsibilities of the Ministry's Animal Health Group and the State Veterinary Service. Many staff are involved according to circumstances, but at all times rabies work has high priority. Currently there is a nucleus of about 25 staff employed full time at headquarters.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what liaison there is between his Department and continental countries on the control of rabies.

I would refer my hon. Friend to the replies given to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould) and the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington (Mr. Adley) on 20th May—[Vol. 911, c. 652–53]—and 10th June respectively.—[Vol 912, c. 770.]

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to encourage authorities controlling continental ports to warn of the danger of rabies.

So far as people travelling to the Continent are concerned, we already take considerable steps to warn them of the rabies risk abroad and to advise them to leave their animals at home. It is far better for them to be told by us before departure than by the continental port authorities on arrival. Through our embassies, however, we have arranged for extensive publicity at continental ports, marinas, etc., warning travellers to Britain of our import controls and advising them to leave their pets behind.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action he took in respect of the mouse brought into the United Kingdom by a Kettering schoolboy; what evidence there is that it came from a part of the Continent infected with rabies; and whether he will make a statement.

On receipt of the report of a mouse having been brought into the country illegally a Ministry veterinary officer visited the boy concerned and, in the presence of his parents, explained that under the rabies legislation the mouse would have to be destroyed unless it was put into quarantine or re-exported at the owner's expense. By mutual agreement the mouse was destroyed.The mouse came from France. The precise origin is not known, but this is irrelevant because our import controls apply to animals coming from anywhere outside the British Isles.I understand that no prosecution is intended.

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list all plant breeding stations administered by his Department; and if he will list the numbers of staff and the total annual cost of each station.

None; but I have arranged for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science to send the hon. Member particulars of those supported by the Agricultural Research Council.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) what was the purpose of the fuel adjustment charge;(2) which kinds of fuel are taken into account when calculating the fuel adjustment charge;(3) which electricity boards add fuel adjustment charges to their bills.

Fuel cost adjustment charges, which are incorporated in the tariffs of all electricity boards in England and Wales, are designed to pass on directly to the consumer in proportion to his consumption changes in the cost of fossil fuels used in generating electricity. The fuels concerned are coal, coke, gas and oil.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy whether the proposed increase in electricity charges will be in respect of the fuel adjustment charge.

The area electricity boards have notified the Price Commission of an increase in the fuel cost adjustment in domestic and other quarterly tariffs which will affect meter readings from 1st July and represent an average price increase of about 3 per cent.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on secondary education in Tameside.

I would refer my hon. Friend to my statement earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if matters affecting Scotland were included in material before

		LONDON		REST OF ENGLAND		WALES		BED AND BREAKFAST (London only)
		Persons	Families	Persons	Families	Persons	Families	Persons	Families
1970	…	12,200	2,617	10,231	1,917	786	147	N/A	—
1971	…	13,582	3,011	11,301	2,113	909	168	N/A	—
1972*	…	10,691	2,547	12,354	2,405	960	182	N/A	—
1973*	…	12,585	3,161	13,852	2,840	1,100	214	2,402	767
1974	…	14,082	3,793	14,464	3,237	1,107	220	3,756	1,249
* Figures for these years distorted by a change in definition and so not comparable with other years

The equivalent figures for 1975 are not yet available. Information on bed and breakfast accommodation was collected from June 1973 for London only.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many vacancies there are for driving examiners in each administrative area.

The matters discussed concern the United Kingdom as a whole.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if consideration is being given to making the A646, between Halifax and Todmorden, a designated lorry route.

We are still considering the principles of a possible system of national lorry routes on the basis of discussions with the main interested organisations. Until the principles have been settled it would be premature to consider the status of particular roads.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list in the Official Report the number of (a) persons and (b) families made homeless during each year since 1970; and if he will further classify this information as between London and the rest of England and Wales.

The number of persons and families in temporary accommodation provided by social services authorities under Section 21(1)(b) of the National Assistance Act 1948 on 30th June in the years 1970 to 1974 was as follows:

Recruitment of driving examiners is determined by the trend in demand for driving tests throughout Great Britain as a whole. Examiners are moved around within traffic areas and detached from one area to another to cope with local variations in demand. The total number of examiners currently in post is thought sufficient to meet the foreseeable work load and no recruitment is taking place.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many driving examiners there are in each administrative area; and what is the average number of tests per week.

The information is as follows:

Traffic Area	Number of Examiners permanently stationed at end of May	Average number of tests per week conducted in 4 week period ended 21st May
Northern	64	2,295
Yorkshire	104	3,620
North-Western	170	5,303
West Midland	125	4,053
East Midland	102	3,558
Eastern	68	2,058
South Wales	46	1,437
Western	93	2,936
South-Eastern	114	3,735
Scottish (North)	30	796
Scottish (South)	67	1,990
Metropolitan	298	9,233

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will classify the number of unfit dwellings found in the house condition survey of 1971 into the reasons why dwellings were defined as unfit.

This information was not recorded in the survey.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is currently the average waiting time for a driving test date in each administrative area.

At the end of May the average time between receipt of an application and the test date in each traffic area was:

Traffic Area	Average waiting time (weeks)
Northern	14·0
Yorkshire	10·3
North-Western	11·7
West Midland	9·6
East Midland	11·8
Eastern	10·7
South Wales	14·9
Western	10·3
South-Eeastern	11·2
Scottish (North)	13·2
Scottish (South)	15·1
Metropolitan	21·8

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the waiting period for driving tests at the Dundee centre and overall.

14 weeks and 15·1 weeks respectively at the end of May.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list in the Official Report all cases of expenditure over £10,000 authorised by his Department since 1st January 1975 in which mechanical services such as air-conditioning and lifts have been or are being installed in public buildings at a standard above the specification laid down by the British Standards Institution; and why such expenditure was approved;(2) if he will list in the

The information re-required to answer this Question is not available centrally and could not be obtained without detailed technical scrutiny of each job costing more than £10,000 authorised since January 1975. It is the Department's general policy to work to relevant British Standard Specifications, many of which are applicable to individual components and not to complete installations. Occasionally it may be economical to approve a higher standard than the acceptable minimum to achieve a lower life cycle cost.If the hon. Member would like to have information about any particular installation I shall, of course, be glad to look into it.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will consider conducting an inquiry into the method of granting concessions to caterers on the motorways; and, in order to improve the present standards of these restaurants, if he will take account of the system adopted in West Germany.

The method of leasing concessions to service area operators is kept constantly under review. Conditions in West Germany, or, indeed, in other continental countries, differ appreciably from our own both in regard to the traffic and to catering usage.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list those private tollgates operating on public roads for which his Department is responsible.

On trunk roads in England there are private toll bridges at Dunham Bridge in Lincolnshire, and Selby Bridge in North Yorkshire.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proportion of families in the professions suffer from overcrowding; how this compares with families in the lower socioeconomic group; what action he is taking to reduce overcrowding among unskilled workers and among semi-skilled; and where this overcrowding is chiefly to be found.

Information is not available about statutory overcrowding, as defined in Part IV of the Housing Act 1957, in relation to particular socioeconomic groups.The 1971 Census volume "Housing, Part IV, Density of Occupation" indicates that 1·4 per cent. of all households in England and Wales were then living at a density of over 1·5 persons per room and their geographical distribution. In the London borough of Wandsworth within which my hon. Friend's constituency lies the census figure was 3·2 per cent. of all households.Local authorities have adequate powers under the Housing Acts 1957 to 1969 to deal with overcrowding and the priority which the Government have given to housing action by local authorities and housing associations has provided for a big increase in new houses during the past two years.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what has been the number and size of spillages of dangerous inflammable liquids on Manchester Ship Canal over the past five years; what penalties have been imposed, and if he will make a statement;(2) what discussions he has had with the producers of dangerous inflammable liquids in the area of the Manchester Ship Canal, in view of the substantial number of people living in the urban areas alongside the canal; if he will take stronger powers to relieve the anxiety of people living in this area; and if he will make a statement.

There have been four significant spillages in the last five years. Fines were imposed in two cases.After an earlier incident in 1970 a number of improved safety precautions were introduced after discussions with the bodies concerned. Existing powers to control the conveyance and handling of dangerous substances on the canal appear to be adequate. The Health and Safety Commission is, however, studying proposals for new regulations to be made under the powers in the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 on the conveyance and handling of dangerous substances generally.The safety of pipelines and the storage of inflammable liquids in areas adjacent to the canal are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Energy and Employment respectively.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been done into the effect of the discharge of waste products from galvanising plants on the health of the community.

There is no medical evidence of any long-term hazard to health from emissions from these works. The industry has concentrated its effort on finding how best the discharges might be controlled so as to avoid any inconvenience to the community, and this work is still going on.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice he has given on the siting of galvanising plants arising from any research results that may be available.

Galvanising is not a process registrable under the Alkali etc. Works Regulation Act 1906 and no specific advice on the siting of these plants has been given. I am considering the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution that more guidance should be given to planning authorities on air pollution matters. There will be extensive consultation on these recommendations.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the lease covering Hong Kong expires; and whether there was provision for an extended term in the original deed.

The lease on the New Territories is due to expire in 1997. It did not cover the question of renewal. The island of Victoria, the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island are not subject to any lease.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reactions have been received from the Government of the People's Republic of China to the question of British occupancy of Hong Kong under the terms of a subsisting lease.

None.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Comonwealth Affairs how many people in Hong Kong have British passports; and what is their position should the lease expire.

The total number of Hong Kong British passports issued between 1st January 1965 and 31st December 1975 was 334,106, of which about 325,000 are still believed to be valid. It is not possible to predict what the effect on British passport holders might be should the New Territories lease expire.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many people have been rehoused in the Government of Hong Kong's building programme in each of the last five years; and how many people it is proposed to rehouse during the next five years.

The following are the figures for each of the last five years:

1971–72	133,100
1972–73	117,000
1973–74	50,000
1974–75	68,600
1975–76	110.300
	479,000

It is the intention to produce new housing for 773,100 persons over the next five years.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the amount of sterling balances held by Hong Kong in December 1974, December 1975, and at the latest convenient date.

It is not the practice of the Hong Kong authorities to make public statistics of official external reserves.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he now intends to instruct the British Ambassador to return to Chile; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the objective of the Government's policy towards the Welsh language.

The policy is to do all that the Government reasonably and practically can to encourage and foster the use of the Welsh language. As I told the hon. Member on 14th April 1976—[Vol. 909, c. 530]—the future of our inheritance is in the hands of the Welsh people.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now make a statement concerning the reorganisation of secondary education in the Bangor area; and if he will confirm his support for Gwynedd County Council's proposals of a Welsh language comprehensive school for the area.

I have still under consideration Gwynedd Local Education Authority's proposal to reorganise secondary education in Bangor. I will make my decision known as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what offer he has received from the Bristol Channel Ship Repair Company for the taking over of Messrs. Greenwells ship repairers of Sunderland and if he will make a statement.

Proposals to take over the lease of the Greenwell premises should be made to the leaseholders, Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd. A written offer made on 25th May by Sunderland Shipbuilders to sub-lease the Greenwell yard to Bristol Channel Ship Repairers on broadly the same terms as those enjoyed by the previous operators—terms which Bristol Channel Ship Repairers had said it was willing to accept—has received no substantive response.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the value of total output of ship repair work in the North-East and Merseyside, respectively, for the latest available period.

It is estimated that the output of ship repair work by commercial yards in the third quarter of 1975 was £18 million in the North-East and £6 million in the North-West. Separate figures for Merseyside are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many persons were employed in shipbuilding in the North-East and Merseyside, respectively, at the latest available date.

Following is the available information in respect of the shipbuilding industry which includes shipbuilding, ship repairing and marine engineering:

Employment in the third quarter of 1975
	thousands
North-East	32
North-West	20
Rest of Great Britain	36
Total	88

Separate figures for shipbuilding alone or for Merseyside are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the gross tonnage of merchant shipping launched as a percentage of the United Kingdom total in the North-East and Merseyside, respectively, in 1974 and 1975, respectively.

Regional statistics of the gross tonnage of merchant shipping launched are not readily available. The following information relates to the gross tonnage of completions:

	Percentage of total for United Kingdom
	1974	1975
North-East England	50	54
North-West England	1	2

Separate information for Merseyside is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry whether, in view of the serious threat to employment prospects in Hatfield, he will now fund the proposals by Hawker Siddeley Aviation for further development of the HS146 project.

As I have already assured my hon. Friend, the Government are considering the company's proposals for some limited Government expenditure as a matter of urgency.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what information companies have to supply in support of claims for relief or requests for grants.

I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what are the bases on which investment grants are calculated.

I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many galvanising plants there are in the United Kingdom; how long these have been established; and how many complaints have been received by his Department about possible health hazards to the community near such plants.

According to available information, there are 106 general galvanising plants in the United Kingdom. These vary from small plants with one galvanising bath to plants with four or five large baths. Also there are four sheet galvanising lines, four tube galvanising plants and around 20 wire galvanising plants. The ages of such plants vary from new to those with equipment around 20 years old, although buildings may be much older. My Department has received no complaints about health hazards arising from the operation of galvanising plants.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the value of British direct and portfolio investment in Hong Kong.

The information available relates to the book value of direct investment excluding oil, banking and insurance. The latest figure relates to the end of 1971 and was published with figures for the seven preceding years in Table 35 of Business Monitor M4 Part II, Overseas Transactions 1972, a copy of which is in the Library. The next estimate, which will relate to the end of 1974, will not be published until the autumn of this year. Figures for subsequent net flows of investment in 1972 and 1973 were published in Table 17 of Business Monitor M4, Overseas Transactions 1973, which is also in the Library. No country breakdown is available for portfolio investment.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will review the increase in charges for mounting trade exhibitions under joint venture schemes abroad; and if he will make a statement.

The British Overseas Trade Board reviewed charging for its services only last April when, with my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State's approval, some increased charges were introduced. I see no case for a further review at this time.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what proportion of overseas visitors landed at or left from Manchester Airport during 1976.

It is estimated from the International Passenger Survey that in 1975 1·7 per cent. of total arrivals and departures of foreign residents by sea or air, excluding journeys to and from the Irish Republic, were through Manchester Airport. This is equivalent to 2·6 per cent. of foreign residents travelling by air. More recent figures are not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many passengers arrived at and departed from Manchester Airport during 1976; and what proportion of the national total this constitutes.

Figures compiled by the Civil Aviation Authority show that during 1975 there were 2,579,288 passenger movements—arrivals plus departures—at Manchester Airport. This constitutes 6·2 per cent. of all passenger movements at airports within the United Kingdom. More recent figures are not available.

RUNWAY
		28R		28L		10R		10L
Week		Take-off	Landing	Take-off	Landing	Take-off	Landing	Take-off	Landing
29th April–5th May		-	3	1	25	1	10	-	-
6th–12th May	…	1	6	1	9	-	13	-	2
13th–19th May	…	-	-	1	31	-	1	-	1
20th–26th May	…	2	-	2	24	2	5	-	-

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what progress he is making in implementing the recommendations of the Working Party on the Future of the British Film Industry, other than those requiring legislation.

With the exception of certain recommendations endorsing present arrangements or calling for non-Governmental action, only one proposal by the working party is in a form which would not require prior legislation. This is the release under existing powers of £2·37 million to the National Film Finance Corporation. As already announced, this is being authorised.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in his investigations into matters connected with alleged irregularities concerning the Canning Town Glass Works, he took any action under breach of Section 190 of the Companies Act 1948; and whether he will now take action under this section of the Act in view of the facts as publicly known and in the possession of his Department.

There is no provision under Section 190 of the Companies Act, 1948 for the Department to take action for breach of that section. My hon. Friend may be aware that the company has already begun civil proceedings which are at present before the court.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade how many aircraft landings and take-offs have taken place at Heathrow airport at night during each of last four weeks for which figures are available; and if he will identify the runway used.

The information requested is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what discussions British Caledonian had with his Department before the purchase of the DC10 aircraft; what is the number and size of the contribution of British firms to this aircraft; if he will advise British purchasers of wide-bodied aircraft to consider the British contribution; and if he will make a statement;(2) if, in the light of the fact that Rolls-Royce engines have been or are to be fitted to Lockheed and Boeing aircraft and that the Douglas Aircraft Company has publicly indicated its willingness to fit Rolls-Royce engines to the DC10 without additional cost to the United Kingdom balance of payments, he will take steps to ensure that no foreign aircraft shall be purchased by British companies without such aircraft having a substantial proportion of British-produced parts; and if he will make a statement;(3) if, in view of the fact that British Caledonian is intending to purchase DC10 wide-body aircraft which have a very low proportion of British content, he will take steps to prevent purchases which substantially adversely affect the balance of payments without providing any real employment prospects for British work-people; and if he will make a statement.

I will reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he is satisfied with the reliability of the instrument landing system in use at Heathrow Airport and with the action being taken to improve matters.

I am advised that the system is up to standard technically, but, in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Authority, we are currently considering ways of ensuring that the system can be so operated as to reduce disruption of the alternation landing system.

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make it his policy not to allow Concorde to overfly any country without the prior permission of the Government of the country concerned.

Under the Chicago Convention no aircraft operating a scheduled air service can overfly any country without that country's permission.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland, if a compulsory retirement age of 60 years were to be introduced for teachers, what is his estimate of the number of new entrants required to maintain current staffing levels over the next five years.

I cannot give such an estimate at present.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the current numbers of teachers aged over 65 years, 70 years and 75 years employed in primary and secondary schools, respectively, in Scotland.

At September 1974, the latest date for which information has been analysed, there were 264 and 126 full-time teachers in education authority primary and secondary schools respectively who by 31st December 1974 would have reached their sixty-fifth birthday. Of these 32 and 16 respectively would by that date have reached their seventieth birthday. Information about the number who would have reached their seventy-fifth birthday is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when the Scottish Education Department ceased to compile separate figures of nursery school places in Glasgow and Lanarkshire;(2) how many nursery school places were available in each of the old education authorities now making up Strathclyde Region on the date on which the Scottish Education Department ceased gathering such information.

January 1975 was the last date with effect from which separate figures were compiled of places in nursery schools and classes provided by the former education authorities including Glasgow and Lanarkshire. At that date the number of places available in the former education authority areas now approximating to Strathclyde Region were as follows:

Former Education Authority	Places
Argyll	Nil
Bute	Nil
Ayr	935
Dunbarton	495
Glasgow	3,810
Lanark	545
Renfrew	650
Total	6,435

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in order to assist Ministers in the allocation of resources to various sectors of education, he will instruct the Scottish Education Department to maintain figures of the child population in each region and, because of its diverse character, in each of the divisions of Strathclyde.

The General Register Office, Scotland, prepares mid-year population estimates broken down by age and by district or islands council area. The estimates for 1975 are now available.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether returns of educational information and statistics from the Strathclyde Region are shown on a divisional basis.

The statistics collected for September 1975 for school and further education establishments in Strathclyde are coded by administrative division.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many civil servants were employed in the SED; how many other personnel were employed in the Scottish educational administration in 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975, at any convenient date; and if he will give any conveniently available figures for the number of local government staff employed in local authority education offices in Scotland in the last third of a century.

The figures for the Scottish Education Department, excluding the staff of the Royal Scottish Museum, for the years 1965, 1970 and

Usage	Rank		Number
(a) Permanently allocated	Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools	…	15
	Scientific/Research Office	…	2
	Marketing Officers	…	2
	Fishery Officers	…	2
	Livestock Inspectors	…	2
	Farm Manager/Grieve	…	2
	Field Officer	…	4
	Area Transport Officers	…	2
			31
(b) First call from a pool	—	…	Nil
(c) Other than occasional use on any other basis	Permanent Under-Secretary of State	…	1
	Commandant: Scottish Police College	…	1
			2
	Grand Total	…	33

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many civil servants in his Department and at what ranks have (a) an official car allocated to them, (b) first call on official cars from a pool and (c) other than occasional access to an official car on any other basis.

Official car requirements of this nature for civil servants in my Department are set out in the table below.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the amount of rate support grant received by Cumbernauld-Kilsyth District Council for (a) the financial year 1975–76 and (b) the financial year 1976–77.

Under the Rate Support Grant (Scotland) (No. 2) Order 1975, £634,556 in 1975–76 and £761,826 in 1976–77.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what degree of risk there is of hepatitis for those engaged in transplantation and dialysis;(2) how many of those engaged in transplantation and dialysis have contracted hepatitis over the past decade;

HEPATITIS AND STAFF OF RENAL DIALYSIS UNITS
			Number of staff in survey	Cases of Hepatitis		Attach rate per 100 Staff
Year				Clinical*	Sub-Clinical†
1968	…	…	820	3	1	0·5
1969	…	…	903	10	2	1·3
1970	…	…	1,421	17	4	1·5
1971	…	…	1,456	11	1	0·8
1972	…	…	1,372	6	1	0·4
1973	…	…	1,355	1	1	0·1
1974	…	…	1,350 (approx)	0	0	0
1975	…	…	1,350 (approx)	0	0	0
*Clinical hepatitis: An illness with jaundice or serum bilirubin above the normal maximum and/or enlarged liver not attributed to any cause other than viral hepatitis.
†Sub-clinical hepatitis: Abnormal results of transaminase tests, not attributed to non-infective causes, and/or Australia antigen detected in serum. Symptoms such as anorexia, malaise, abdominal pain, etc. may or may not be present.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the formula for providing compensation/industrial benefit for those who get hepatitis while engaged on transplantation and dialysis.

The social security industrial injuries scheme provides injury or disablement benefit for employees who become ill as a result of contracting viral hepatitis either as a prescribed industrial disease or because of an industrial accident. The award of benefits is made in (3) what arrangements have been made to safeguard the health of those engaged in transplantation and dialysis.

The Advisory Group on Hepatitis and the Treatment of Chronic Renal Failure, under the chairmanship of the late Lord Rosenheim, which reported in 1972, recognised that there are special risks of infection in regular dialysis and renal transplant units, but pointed out that appropriate measures to control these hazards differ in no essential respect from those in general use. The report of the advisory group, which contained a code of practice for regular dialysis and renal transplantation units and a code of laboratory practice, was commended to hospital and local health authorities in 1972 and I understand that its recommendations are closely followed.Following is a table, prepared by the Public Health Laboratory Service, showing the incidence of hepatitis amongst renal dialysis unit staff since 1968, from which it can be seen that there has been a welcome and marked reduction since the issue of the report of the advisory group.accordance with the relevant provisions of the Social Security Act and regulations. In addition, any person whose earning ability is reduced as a result of contracting a disease to which he is exposed as a result of his employment in the National Health Service can claim compensation under the National Health Service (Injury Benefits) Regulations.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how the compensation/industrial benefit obtained by those suffering from hepatitis obtained while engaged in transplantation and dialysis compares with that obtained from prescribed industrial diseases in the urology field in the gas and rubber industries.

The benefits of the industrial injuries scheme are available to all employees, including those in the gas and rubber industries and in the National Health Service. The benefits are available in respect of all prescribed industrial diseases and for industrial accidents. In addition, National Health Service employees are also covered under the National Health Service injury benefits scheme.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to include manipulation in all training courses for physiotherapy in order to ensure that the practice of osteopathy comes within the mainstream of medical practice.

The content of training courses in physiotherapy leading to State registration is a matter for the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and the Physiotherapists Board of the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine. Instruction in manipulative procedures is included in pre-registration courses, but mobilisation of the spine by manipulation is reserved for post-registration courses. It is open to any doctor who considers it appropriate to use manipulative techniques of treatment or to arrange for such treatment to be given by a physiotherapist who has undertaken the appropriate training. Any question of bringing osteopathy within the mainstream of medical practice is a matter for agreement betwen the medical profession and the osteopaths.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give advice on restricting the use of ear drops to deal with wax accumulation in treatment given by general practitioners.

It is for the individual doctor to decide what to prescribe in any particular case. I am satisfied that adequate guidance is available from professional sources.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ban the use of National Health Service premises for the display of political posters issued by the Campaign for Independence in Medicine.

Under an agreement of the General Whitley Council staff organisations may display on notice boards supplied for their use material which they consider to be of general interest to their members; display of material elsewhere in the hospital is subject to the consent of local management. In view of the terms of the agreement, and on the evidence at present available to me about this particular example, I think it is best to leave this matter to the judgment of individual health authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the five hospitals which are directly administered by his Department.

The hospitals concerned are: —

(a) Special Hospitals (see Section 40 of National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973)

• Broadmoor Hospital
• Moss Side Hospital
• Park Lane Hospital (Advance unit)
• Rampton Hospital

(b)

• War Pensioners' Hospital
• Leopardstown Park Hospital, Dublin.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what the reduction in numbers of staff employed by the National Health Service will be if the proposals contained in his Department's paper on a revised hospital plan for inner London are implemented.

The paper does not represent departmental policy and was produced as a starting point for discussion rather than a basis for action. It is for the regional and area health authorities to develop specific proposals, and to assess their staffing consequences.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many telephones, adaptations, aids, televisions, radios, television and radio licences and holidays, respectively, have been provided for the disabled by the Walsall Metropolitan District Council since 1974 and by its predecessor, the Walsall Borough Council since 1970; if he will express these figures in terms of households

HOUSEHOLDS ASSISTED PER 100,000 TOTAL POPULATION
			Walsall CB		Walsall MD	England
			1972–73	1973–74	1974–75	1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
Telephone installation	…	…	22	29	13	36	47	47
Telephone attachments	…	…	—	—	—	2	2	3
Telephone rental	…	…	28	44	62	26	62	101
Television (supply)	…	…	4	11	3	5	5	5
Television licence	…	…	17	31	31	9	14	35
Radio (supply)	…	…	—	—	—	2	2	1
Other personal aids	…	…	73	252	275	255	307	343
Adaptations (all property)		…	81	92	42	61	84	89
Holidays*	…	…	182	202	188	175	193	226

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS ASSISTED
			Walsall CB		Walsall MD
			1972–73	1973–74	1974–75
Telephone installation	…	…	40	50	3
Telephone attachments	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil
Telephone rental	…	…	50	80	170
Television (supply)	…	…	10	20	10
Television licence	…	…	30	60	80
Radio (supply)	…	…	Nil	Nil	Nil
Other personal aids	…	…	130	460	740
Adaptations (all property)		…	150	170	110
Holidays*	…	…	330	370	510
* This figure relates to persons, not households

EXPENDITURE ON ADAPTATIONS, AIDS, TELEPHONES AND HOLIDAYS PER 1,000 POPULATION
			1972–73 £	1973–74 £	1974–75 £
Walsall CB	…	…	5,542	9,372	Nil
Walsall MD	…	…	Nil	Nil	13,644
England and Wales	…	…	7,927	13,599	16,221

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many telephones have been installed annually in the county of Northumberland under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

Numbers of households where assistance was given with the installation and/or rental of a telephone under either Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, or Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Acts 1968 in the case of the frail elderly, were as follows:

Numbers of households assisted since 1972–73, the earliest year for which information is available, and figures of expenditure compared with the total for England and Wales—the United Kingdom total is not readily available—are as follows:

	1972–73*	1973–74	1974–75
Installations	72	140	45
Attachments	3	6	3
Rentals	50	90	40

The population of the county of Northumberland is now approximately 55 per cent. of the population before local government reorganization in April 1974.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many telephones have been installed annually in the county of Avon under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970.

During the year ending 31st March 1975 the position was as follows:

Telephones and attachments	224
Rentals	698

Prior to local government reorganisation in 1974 the county of Avon formed parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire.Provision may have been made under Section 45 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 as well as the 1970 Act in the case of frail elderly people who are not disabled.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average cost to the National Health Service of gastroscopes; and how many are available for use in Birmingham.

The average cost of gastroscopes is not available, but I understand that the most used model costs about £3,500. Information is being collected about the number available in Birmingham, and I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons in Birmingham are waiting for a gastroscopy examination at the latest date; and how this compares with the number 12 months ago.

The information requested is not readily available but I will write to my hon. Friend as soon as possible with what information the Birmingham Area Health Authority (Teaching) can provide.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services at what date persons currently aged between 50 and 65 years will be considered for mobility allowance; and what is the situation of these persons currently under 65 years, but who may have attained that age be-before consideration can be given to their application for mobility allowance.

People aged 15 to 50, inclusive, are already eligible for consideration for mobility allowance. I cannot yet announce an extension of this coverage, but, for the remaining eligible age groups, the broad order of priority will be, first, those aged 5 to 14 and then those aged 51 to pension age—60 for a woman, 65 for a man. We shall hope to extend coverage in stages to people within these age groups so as to complete the process within about three years from January 1976. The precise phasing will need to take account of the numbers claiming in earlier groups. Entitlement to mobility allowance ceases at pension age; thus people will be able to qualify only if they are still under minimum pension age when their age group becomes eligible.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the estimated cost to the employer per year, in the form of national insurance and other levies, of employing a man earning national average manual earnings.

Assuming that for March 1976, the latest month for which an earnings index figure is available, average weekly earnings of male manual workers were £63·16, the annual cost to the employer of secondary Class I contributions would be some £287. There will also be a statutory liability on many employers to pay a levy to an industrial training board; no precise estimate can be made of the average cost per worker covered, but it would certainly be small.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will take steps to make sure that disabled students of the Open University do not lose any of their benefits, or allowances, when they go to the annual summer schools associated with their courses; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will take steps to make sure that disabled students of the Open University do not lose any of their benefits, or allowances, if they travel abroad in connection with their studies; and if he will make a statement.

Disabled people who are following Open University courses could be receiving one or more of a number of benefits. The rules differ as between these benefits and it does not necessarily follow that temporary changes of circumstances, such as attendance at a summer school or short trip abroad, would lead to loss of payment in every case. I shall be able to give my hon. Friend fuller information in my reply to his letter on this subject.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will circulate the recent report of the joint working party of the Royal College of Physicians and British Cardiac Society to every doctor in the country;(2) what is his policy towards the main conclusions of the recent report of the joint working party of the Royal College of Physicians and British Cardiac Society; what action he intends to take in the light of it; and if he will make a statement;(3) what action he intends to take to publicise those recommendations of the recent report of the joint working party of the Royal College of Physicians and British Cardiac Society with which he is in agreement.

Coronary heart disease is a major and possibly increasing cause of death and disability. The joint working party has tried to produce the best possible advice which can at present be given to doctors for its prevention. Because so many of the risk factors for this disease are closely associated with patterns of social behaviour the health of the community lies to some degree in its own hands. Recommendations are, therefore, made which apply to the whole community in terms of diet, cigarette smoking, weight control and physical activity. But the general practitioner has a key rôle to play in recognising and giving advice to those persons considered to be at particularly high risk. The report defines these "high risk" groups and makes specific recommendations for the management of the individual risk factors. It is for individual doctors to determine the advice and treatment they give to their patients in the light of their own clinical judgment. The report, however, is an important contribution towards the prevention of coronary heart disease; and on the advice of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee the Chief Medical Officer will shortly be sending a copy of the report, which has already received wide publicity, to all doctors.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make the Malcolm Brown Report available to local authorities; what guidance and advice he is offering local authorities regarding the non-implementation of Section 1 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act; and if he will make a statement.

I intend to make the report available to local authorities after I have resolved any points of doubt arising from the draft at present with me. The need for further advice on the implementation of Section 1 is being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what facilities are available on the National Health Service for after-fitting rehabilitation for patients supplied with National Health Service hearing aids; whether there are regional variations in the provision of this service; and if he will make a statement;(2) what is his estimate of the wastage rate of National Health Service hearing aids due to patients discarding them before they are fully rehabilitated; what action he is taking to reduce such wastage; and if he will make a statement.

Detailed information about wastage is not available, but relevant studies suggest that there is a minority of patients who do not use their aids at all. Assistance and advice at hearing aid centres is available for patients who require further help after the initial fitting of a National Health Service hearing aid. Rehabilitation facilities in the broader sense are available at certain centres; and I am considering how they might be extended to ensure that hearing aid users generally make the best possible use of their aids.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what facilities are available on the National Health Service for a patient to be assessed and fitted for a hearing aid at home; what is the average waiting time for a domiciliary visit in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Arrangements for domiciliary visits to assess a patient's hearing loss and to fit a hearing aid are made at the discretion of the consultant. Information about average waiting times is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the statement in the Canadian House of Commons on 14th April, he will now report further on the negotiation of a reciprocal agreement on pensions between Canada and the United Kingdom.

The implications of this statement are being considered. I cannot otherwise add to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Boscawen) on 25th February last.—[Vol. 906, c. 266.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence there is of possible health hazards as a result of galvanising plants being sited near residential accommodation.

The main pollutants from the galvanising process are zinc salts and ammonium chloride. In the concentrations likely to be found outside the galvanising plant, there is no evidence of any long-term health hazard from these compounds. In certain weather conditions there have been reports that a few individuals who are particularly sensitive to these compounds can develop a short-term irritation of the upper respiratory tract and eyes.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many complaints have been received by his Department during the last 10 years about galvanising plants.

My right hon. Friend has recently received a complaint concerning the establishment of a new galvanising plant in Wolverhampton. No record can be traced of my Department having received any complaints of a similar nature over the past 10 years.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will list the subjects and expected publication dates of draft codes of practice under preparation by ACAS.

A draft code on disciplinary practice and procedures was published on 18th May. I understand from the ACAS that a draft code on disclosure of information for collective bargaining is expected to be published shortly and that draft codes on time off for trade union officials and members, collective bargaining procedures and trade union recognition will follow later in the year.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what was the average wage without overtime for men employed in public sector house building at the most recent convenient date;(2) what was the average wage for men, without overtime, employed in road construction at the most recent available date.

It is regretted that information in this detail is not available.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average basic industrial wage for men and for women, respectively, at the most recent convenient date; and what were the corresponding figures for the upper quartile and lower quartile of wage distribution for that date.

The available information is obtained annually from the New Earnings Survey. It relates to (a) gross weekly earnings excluding (i) overtime pay, (ii) payments by results, bonuses and other incentive payments, and (iii) premium payments for shift, night or weekend work; and to (b) full-time manual men aged 21 and over and women aged 18 and over in all industries and services in Great Britain. The most recent estimates relate to April 1975 and are, to the nearest 10p:

	Men £	Women £
Average	41·30	27·60
Upper quartile	47·70	32·70
Lower quartile	34·20	23·30

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many complaints concerning galvanising plants have been made to his Department during the last 10 years; and how many were investigated by the Factory Inspectorate.

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the number of complaints concerning galvanising plans made to district and area offices of the Factory Inspectorate during the last five years is 27. Figures relating to the last 10 years are not currently available. All of the complaints were investigated.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what advice was given generally to firms concerned and to local authorities as a result of any investigations made by his Department with regard to possible health hazards from galvanising plants either to those working in the industry or to those living nearby.

I am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that galvanising is a process of applying protective coatings of zinc to metal articles in order to reduce corrosion. Articles to be galvanised are cleaned by a combination of mechanical and chemical methods and are then dipped in a bath of molten zinc. Risks to employees arise from the acid and alkalis used for pre-treatment, from fluxes and from the molten zinc.Companies carrying out the process are advised to maintain the various substances used at concentrations below the threshold limit values published in Technical Data Note No. 2 which is produced by the Health and Safety Executive. Such companies are also advised to maintain high standards of housekeeping, protective clothing and equipment and ventilation.The process is so well known that there is little need for general advice to be given to local authorities. Problems may arise in particular cases which will call for exchange of information and cooperation between local authorities and inspectors of Health and Safety Executive.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish a table showing the unemployment rate by county for each of the counties of Wales and also for Cheshire, Salop, Hereford and Worcester, Staffordshire and Gloucestershire for the most recent convenient date.

Following is the information at May 1976:

	Per cent.
Clwyd	8·9
Dyfed	7·2
Gwent	7·0
Gwynedd	9·5
Mid-Glamorgan	8·1
Powys	6·3
South Glamorgan	5·9
West Glamorgan	6·0
Cheshire	5·3
Salop	6·1
Hereford and Worcester	4·6
Staffordshire	4·0
Gloucestershire	5·0

The unemployment rates are for the groups of travel-to-work areas which most closely represent the counties.

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide, for May 1976, figures for unemployment in the private and public sectors comparable to those given in his reply of 13th April to the hon. Member for Blaby (Official Report, 13th April, c. 444).

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 27th May 1976; Vol. 912, c. 361], gave the following information:Calculated on the same imprecise basis, the unemployed whose last job was in the private or public sectors, expressed as a proportion of total employees in these sectors, were 6·4 and 2·5 per cent. respectively.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the yield of VAT on Stock Exchange transactions.

It is estimated that the net yield of VAT from stockbrokers and unit trust and investment companies for the year 1975–76 was approximately £10 million.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will now proceed to dismantle the controls on capital movements in and out of the United Kingdom; and what steps he will take to render investment in British equities attractive to overseas holders of sterling.

The movement of capital into the United Kingdom by nonresidents and its repatriation is free of restrictive control. In view of the current balance of payments position, now is not an appropriate time to dismantle the existing controls on capital movements out of the United Kingdom by residents. Overseas holders of sterling may already invest in British equities quoted on the Stock Exchange.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what study he has given to the funding of the sterling balances; if he will make a statement as to his conclusions; and on what terms he judges it would be practicable to undertake partial funding by negotiation with certain of the major holders of sterling.

As my right hon. Friend said on 7th June, all relevant factors are kept under consideration.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he has any plans to introduce a Tax Release Board on similar lines to that operated in Australia; and if he will make a statement.

I have no such plans in mind. Remission in cases of hardship of any of the taxes administered by the Inland Revenue is a matter for the Board of Inland Revenue as a part of its general responsibility for the care and management for the taxes in its charge. I believe that the arrangements for considering and deciding cases where remission is sought on hardship grounds work satisfactorily.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the official definition of beneficial and representative occupations for the benefit of tax assessment on colliery workers living in National Coal Board houses; and what procedures of appeal are open to white-collar employees now classed as "beneficial" occupiers who wish to be reclassified as "representative".